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The cost of preventing the spread of HIV? Upwards of $1,600 a month

Sabri Ben-Achour Feb 5, 2019
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AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and AIDS patients march to protest budget cuts to AIDS services proposed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 5, 2009 in Hollywood, California.  David McNew/Getty Images

The cost of preventing the spread of HIV? Upwards of $1,600 a month

Sabri Ben-Achour Feb 5, 2019
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and AIDS patients march to protest budget cuts to AIDS services proposed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 5, 2009 in Hollywood, California.  David McNew/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
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During the State of the Union address tonight, President Trump is expected to call for an end to the spread of HIV in the U.S. by 2030. There’s a drug already on the market that could help make that a reality. It’s called Truvada — otherwise known as PrEP (for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) — and when taken as a preventive, it can drastically reduces transmission of HIV. New York City health officials already credit it with playing a major role in cutting the rate of new HIV infections in the five boroughs by 18 percent. The downside? It can cost upward of $1,600 a month.

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